Published on 12, July, 2020
I was given a basic assessment for Autism just over 2 years ago and I've been waiting for the full assessment all that time. Only when I queried the wait was I told "sorry, it can be up to a four year wait". On reading the recent NAS article, waiting lists are bad, but I didn't think they were that dire! I'm really struggling at the moment. The mental health support I received was a piece of paper with helpful hints to cheer me up (brushing my hair, for example!). I was struggling when I first approached the service 27 months ago, but then a year ago my manager went off work and I took on her role as well as mine. I have had rudimentary support due to funding, and my colleagues have worked twice as hard to support me, for which I am eternally grateful, but we are now all so fatigued.
I have not disclosed my autism because of stigma. There are 2 other staff members across our business with autism, both very different personalities, but both have experienced a mixture of kindness and prejudice. I disclosed my autism to 2 of my managers hoping for more support. The reaction was one of cynicism. I'm 46 - I have been perfecting masking for decades. I have refrained from telling them how I've been having to find dark places around work to disappear to when things get too much. If you're seeming to cope, you can't possibly be autistic; but if you do something a bit unusual because you need to try and manage your stress, then you're deemed totally incapable. This is my feeling, and for me it's confirmed by the experiences of my two colleagues and of my friend who is also autistic. It's stupid that I need a piece of paper to prove to my manager that I have a condition - but I'd rather do that, then wait until I have a full melt down, which I feel I might do.
Yeh it’s very common to have to wait ages for anything in this country. Unless of course you go private. That’s what they want you to do though because they want to privatise the NHS and introduce a private health insurance scheme like they have in the US. I am on the waiting list to see a neurologist and the average wait time is 1 year. I have been waiting 4-5 months so just another 6 months to go lol. Same with my dentist I used to get seen every 6 months now it’s once a year because of cuts to the NHS. I’m telling you the NHS will collapse in the next few years it’s already at breaking point. It’s no one’s fault but our government.
The provisional assessment I have (the one that puts me on The Pathway) was done by the local NHS mental health services.I'm not sure if our HR department will be able to do anything quicker. I asked my senior manager (as my direct manger is absent) if it was worth going through Occupational Health, and she said they probably wouldn't be particularly quick, and might not be able to help at all.
Things have just got a bit more complex :( I'm not sure if keeping my autism to myself might be a good idea. Someone is trying to bully one of my staff by being very sly. I'm trying to stand up for them. If I get too 'passionate' about it, I could get ignored, but even more so if you have a 'label'. This is so frustrating! I want support, but I don't want to let my colleague down. People really don't understand Autism.
I disclosed autism to my manager, I’m allowed to wear ear plugs in the office. As for now nobody asked me for the paper, they dont need paper to prove that I suffer in certain situations, which they see I do. I’m living in small town in Germany, I don’t know how the process looks like here. I just hope to not have problems at work.
This is such a familiar story, so common but it shouldn’t be. I work for a very large organisation that has a neurodiversity support network. We had a very recent meeting where someone who works for a company that assists with Access to Work applications was a speaker and he said you don’t need to have a diagnosis if you need support from them.(shame they don’t pay for private diagnosis though!) Have you had an assessment from them?